I've been thinking about this thread since I first posted last week. I feel like I sort of busted in and disrupted what might have been a fine safe space to talk about IUDs with my own highly unusual experience. My intention was to share my story partly because I've never met anyone else who has had their IUD fail, and I had hoped that I might find someone else who'd had that happen to them, too -- not because I would ever want someone to go through it, but because another person's experience could help me feel less alone in this regard.

I'm going to talk to an MD at PP to get (one person's) "official" recommendation on IUD care -- how often it needs to be checked by a doctor, if you can adequately check placement yourself, et. al. -- so there'll be some concrete information to balance out whatever concerns I may have sparked.

I've been thinking about this thread since I first posted last week. I feel like I sort of busted in and disrupted what might have been a fine safe space to talk about IUDs with my own highly unusual experience. My intention was to share my story partly because I've never met anyone else who has had their IUD fail, and I had hoped that I might find someone else who'd had that happen to them, too -- not because I would ever want someone to go through it, but because another person's experience could help me feel less alone in this regard.

I'm going to talk to an MD at PP to get (one person's) "official" recommendation on IUD care -- how often it needs to be checked by a doctor, if you can adequately check placement yourself, et. al. -- so there'll be some concrete information to balance out whatever concerns I may have sparked.

Gimme a week or so and I'll be back with that.

"Safe space" doesn't mean "only positive stories" does it? I don't think anyone minds hearing another experience. And I have a friend who was conceived in spite of her mother's IUD - there just aren't any contraceptives that work 100% of the time.

The information I got was that I should do self-checks, and go to the midwives' office if I can't feel the threads, or if the bleeding pattern changes (once there is a pattern, that is - right now it's still weird because the thing is new).

_________________I tend to hook up with people who give me chocolate, but I fail to see how this is a bad thing./tofulish

Lizzielove, you didn't disrupt the thread at all! It's the "IUD thread!" not the "only say good things about your IUD thread!" ;)

I do recommend, if you want to find other stories similar to yours, that you check out the iud_divas livejournal community. Those of us who write in this thread are probably too small a sampling to have many similar experiences, but there are definitely women there who've posted experiences similar to yours over at iud_divas! Being a statistical oddity is no fun when your reproductive system is involved.

amonik wrote:

The information I got was that I should do self-checks, and go to the midwives' office if I can't feel the threads, or if the bleeding pattern changes (once there is a pattern, that is - right now it's still weird because the thing is new).

My doctor (a little over two years ago) was basically like "Check your strings if you want, but it doesn't really matter." And that was it for her recommendations about maintenance. She was so blase about the whole process (this doctor is THE BEST I've ever had, so I mean that in a good way), and I'm such a neurotic person and had read so many horror stories online that I kept quizzing her "what about this? what about that"--I think I made her wish I'd never had internet access.

Question: did anyone else experience light bleeding when the sex is pretty deep and intense? I have the European equivalent of the Paraguard and lately I have noticed a bit of blood after some intese sessions.

_________________I dunno, I guess I just get enthused over eating big ol' squishy balls. - Interrobang?!

yep. i'm pretty sure that's normal (if not, i should probably go to a doctor). i've had mine for 5 years. depending on how low your cervix is and how long whatever object you're sticking in your vagina is, there might be a bump and a little blood.

_________________I'm one of those vegans that cuts corners when it comes to things like breastfeeding and stabbing you in the face~PranjalThat story would be adorable if it didn't end with herpes. ~Mo

Lizzielove, you didn't disrupt the thread at all! It's the "IUD thread!" not the "only say good things about your IUD thread!" ;)

Yeah, I think I got a case of internet anxiety!!! Thanks, vegetalion, and thanks for the iud_divas tip, too.

anek wrote:

Question: did anyone else experience light bleeding when the sex is pretty deep and intense? I have the European equivalent of the Paraguard and lately I have noticed a bit of blood after some intese sessions.

I would often have cramps after intense sex. Once, the cramping was so severe that I went to the emergency room; I was fine, but the intensity of the cramping was unlike anything I'd experienced and so seemed like a symptom of damage.

I haven't had spotting after sex but I do get cramps sometimes. Speaking of which, I have another question for ya'll --

Do you guys ever get bad uterine cramping when you have to go to the bathroom really badly? I never had this issue until I got the IUD and now I notice when I have a full bladder (or full intestines...) that right before and after I relieve myself I will get period-strength cramping. I'm guessing there's just pressure on my uterus and it stimulates cramps but it would be nice to know if I'm the only weirdo experiencing this. I also notice I get cramping when I'm feeling really anxious or stressed out. What the heck??

I just had my gyn exam and everything is ok with my IUD, so I'm not worried about it puncturing me or anything. I asked my PA this question and she had no clue (I don't think she has much experience with patients who have IUDs) but she said I'm in perfect health.

couroupita: I used to have bad bathroom-related cramping with my old IUD. I'd start to get cramps about 20 minutes before I had to poop. I hasn't been a problem since I had my new IUD placed though...

For anyone with serious IUD cramping, I really recommend having a pelvic ultrasound done. I used to have very bad periods, and ended up finding that it was because my IUD wasn't in the proper place, and was tearing up the wall of my uterus. Since having it replaced with a new copper IUD I've had very little cramping and much lighter periods.

I'm thinking of possibly getting a copper IUD because what with taking testosterone and all it seems to me like going for a method of BC that doesn't complicate things with even more hormones would be best, and the security of something that's just there all the time without me having to really pay it much mind really appeals to me.

But, uh, perhaps typically, I'm a bit nervous about the whole insertion deal. I am a wee baby and only had my first pelvic exam last week, and holy hells, that sucked. My body was not chill with having someone else poke around in my plumbing, and it hurt like a mother hubbard... and brought up some gross old bad-relationship feelings which kind of forked me up for the ensuing few days... I'm sure the usual dysphoria bullshiitake also helped, haha.

Should I possibly just wuss out now and wait a while, or is there anything I should try to maybe calm my nerves/uncooperative muscles? Painkillers? Anxiety meds?

xGreenling, I'm on the IUD_Divas livejournal community, and it sounds like there are quite a few people there who ask their doctors for (and get) anti-anxiety medication and/or stronger painkillers before the insertion. I'm sure if you raise your concerns with your doctor, s/he would be very willing to prescribe you something: previous painful/traumatic pelvic exams are a really good reason to have some extra help during the insertion. There are a lot of options, and if you're really freaked out, having a little (doctor-approved) chemical bravery is not wussing out.

Some other advice I have: at least a couple weeks before the procedure, do not read any more insertion stories. Personally, I had a really easy, almost painless insertion experience. I took 3 advil before the procedure and that was all I needed. But I was SO SCARED AND TENSE the whole time because of course I read every single insertion story I could find and my brain conveniently only focused on the bad ones.

I'm thinking of possibly getting a copper IUD because what with taking testosterone and all it seems to me like going for a method of BC that doesn't complicate things with even more hormones would be best, and the security of something that's just there all the time without me having to really pay it much mind really appeals to me.

But, uh, perhaps typically, I'm a bit nervous about the whole insertion deal. I am a wee baby and only had my first pelvic exam last week, and holy hells, that sucked. My body was not chill with having someone else poke around in my plumbing, and it hurt like a mother hubbard... and brought up some gross old bad-relationship feelings which kind of forked me up for the ensuing few days... I'm sure the usual dysphoria bullshiitake also helped, haha.

Should I possibly just wuss out now and wait a while, or is there anything I should try to maybe calm my nerves/uncooperative muscles? Painkillers? Anxiety meds?

WOW I FEEL AWKWARD POSTING THIS.

I used paracetamol, the midwife applied a local anasthetic gel, and I used one of those electric thingys (they're called TENS in Swedish, they stimulate your nerves electrically, which messes with the pain signals). I also had a beer before the insertion. It wasn't too bad, no worse than a pap smear. Definitely talk to your doctor beforehand about how they can help you.

_________________I tend to hook up with people who give me chocolate, but I fail to see how this is a bad thing./tofulish

I know it often gets worse before it gets better, but I've been bleeding/spotting for two whole weeks now after getting my hormonal IUD - no fun at all.

The insane spotting went on for about six weeks, and the last month has been great. I had some barely-there spotting around the time I should have gotten my period last week, otherwise nothing. I'm hoping very much that things continue this way!

_________________I tend to hook up with people who give me chocolate, but I fail to see how this is a bad thing./tofulish

I hope I can help clarifyings some questions although I'm surely not an expert on IUDs in general and the Gynefix especially:...- How it will be removed: actually I did not ask the doctor, to be honest. I just figured that the knot it is fixed with will be cut and the whole thing can then be removed.

i am terrified of IUDs, but when i learned about the gynefix, i more open to the idea.

i've read that it will either dissolve, or if you want to actively have it removed, you'll go back, the doc wil dilate you again, and they'll tug on it, and shoom! out it comes.

unfortunately, it's not approved in the US or canada, but there is (or was) a clinic in vancouver that scads of american women were traveling to to get it inserted. i think it was willow women's center? (i don't know why they were allowed to do it. *shrug*) but i read in IUD_divas on livejournal that they were supposed to stop providing them to american women in december or so. (possibly for an american clinical trial? one can only hope.)

we use FAM right now, and the interruption of sleep is really wearing on me. our other options are vasectomy and vasalgel, and seeing that vasalgel won't be starting trials until at least later this year (meaning distribution at least after 2015) our least invasive option is to get a gynefix until vasalgel is approved... but what if it's true that the vancouver clinic isn't allowed to provide it to american women anymore? (also, we're on the opposite coast, so it'll be an expensive vacation at the very least)

so, i've set up a google alert so i know when an american clinical trial pops up.

I accidentally tugged on my strings when removing my menstrual cup yesterday. It did not feel nice. It was the first time in 4+ years of peaceful cohabitation between those 2. Luckily I didn't pull my IUD out at all (it possibly spun? like, it had rolled sideways before and now it's straight again?) but urgh.

So, I really need to consider getting a copper IUD and i am really scared because I do not deal well with menstrual cramps (as in, I get dizzy, feel like I need to throw up etc. - when I have menstrual cramps I am not functional at all, and usually stay home).

But a copper IUD would totally make me get more cramps, right? And it usually makes you bleed more, right? The gynefix looks awesome, but it doesn't seem like its available here.

Smoothie, that has been my experience with my copper iud. Some people say the cramping gets better after the first year but that hasn't been true for me, unfortunately. If your cramping is bad though your doctor can prescribe pain meds that are stronger than OTC drugs. I'm considering that myself.

my cramps are the same as they were before - pretty rare and, when i do get them, they are mild. my flow is not heavier, but it's different. pre-IUD, i would start with a very heavy flow and then taper off over the course of 5-7 days. now it starts lightly, gets very heavy, then stops abruptly. it usually doesn't last more than 5 days now.

i really think everyone is totally different when it comes to experiences with copper IUDs.

_________________I'm one of those vegans that cuts corners when it comes to things like breastfeeding and stabbing you in the face~PranjalThat story would be adorable if it didn't end with herpes. ~Mo

I didn't get more cramps with the copper IUD either. The reason I didn't keep it was that my periods were annoyingly long, but they were not heavier or more painful. You really don't know until you've tried it, unfortunately.

_________________I tend to hook up with people who give me chocolate, but I fail to see how this is a bad thing./tofulish

Ask if they can insert it themselves or if you need to see someone else, if they do it often (= if you can expect them to be smooth), what kind of tests they require beforehand (here a STI panel is standard, because if you have an untreated one, the insertion can carry bacteria into your uterus and create a deep pelvic infection), what kind of painkillers they will give you for the insertion (if the answer is nothing, take some ibuprofen), and book the insertion appointment towards the end of your next period.

Did you already decide on Mirena vs. copper? Otherwise I'd prepare a list of pros and cons and discuss it with the doctor too.